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| Reaching
new highs |
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| FISH!
philosophy has enriched the work
and personal lives of HDB staff. |
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In the movie
“Fearless” that was released during
this Lunar New Year, martial arts hero Jet Li bravely
took on four fighters for his country’s glory.
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) too achieved
a similar feat. On 22 and 23 November 2005, it “fearlessly”
took on three Singapore quality assessments
at one go.
HDB was the first organisation in Singapore to be
assessed under the integrated framework developed
by SPRING Singapore.
With its success, it achieved the Singapore Quality
Class re-certification, and the Singapore Innovation
Class and Singapore Service Class certifications
in January 2006.
The twin catalysts that propelled the organisation
forward are:
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visionary
leadership team that is “fearless”
about taking on challenges |
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constant desire to challenge
“standard” and “accepted”
norms, which spurred HDB to strive to achieve
new standards in service excellence and innovation |
HDB attributes its achievements and awards to its
drive for continuous improvement and active benchmarking
efforts. Read on to learn more about HDB’s
pursuit of service and innovation excellence.
HDB launched its service tagline — M.A.G.I.C.
(Making A Great Impression on Customers) in November
2005. Not only do all Board-wide service activities
come under the catchy tagline, a framework has also
been put in place to establish a service culture
in HDB.
Said Mr Cheong Seng Meng, Deputy Director (Management
Services): “The M.A.G.I.C. tagline was launched
for all staff. We recognise that excellent service
requires the effort of every officer.
“Be it the general populace, the fellow colleagues
we work with, or our business partners with whom
we collaborate, HDB aims to deliver services that
Make A Great Impression on Customers.”
Posters featuring the tagline were put up in every
department. Each officer received a pair of hand-in-hand
coasters, which reminded staff of the importance
of partnership between customers and front-line
officers, front-line officers and backend support
colleagues, as well as between supervisors and subordinates.
In line with its new service tagline and framework,
HDB organised activities for front-line staff such
as a service retreat and workshops in 2005. And
for the first time, HDB’s Quality Service
Day was opened HDB to all departments, so all staff
could participate in the workshops and visits to
outstanding service organisations.
Over the last two years, HDB conducted many focus
group sessions to engage its customers, better understand
their needs and explore proposals for new services.
In 2005, it carried out 19 sessions with its industrial
and commercial property tenants, elderly residents,
season parking ticket holders, young Singaporeans
and potential HDB residents. These sessions have
proved to be fruitful for HDB.
At a focus group session, property tenants said
they hoped HDB officers would visit their premises
more often so that they could give more timely feedback.
HDB officers have acceded to their request and this
move has helped to promote goodwill between both
parties.
During another session for season parking ticket
holders, HDB solicited feedback on its pilot Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) system. The focus
group participants gave inputs which were subsequently
incorporated into the final design of the RFID tags
(see this story: Going paperless
with RFID tags).
In recent years, HDB launched a comprehensive range
of online services to cater for diverse needs and
profiles. Specialised portals were developed and
integrated with the HDB InfoWEB, such as eSales
for new flat buyers, Housing Admin Services for
residents and Hbiz for industrial tenants. (Read
about HDB’s award-winning online e-bidding
website Place2Lease in this story: Global
recognition for e-bidding website)
HDB also introduced an eAlert service — an
email subscription service that allows HDB customers
to get updates on specific HDB items of their choice.
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| Staff participated
in many fun and innovative activities
during Innovation Week 2005. |
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Since 1999, HDB officers have been conceptualising
and conducting in-house innovation and creativity
courses for staff. These courses aim to impart knowledge
on Innovation and Quality Circles (IQCs) through
creative experiential exercises, games and interactive
workshops.
HDB has attained an impressive level of achievement
in the IQC/SSS arena, due in no small part to active
staff participation. In bringing IQCs to a higher
platform in HDB, the HDB IQC Premier Club (i-Club)
was formed with high-performance IQCs as its members.
The club provides customised, team-based training
and infrastructures, and learning and sharing opportunities
to nurture these IQCs and encourage them to work
on projects that have significant impact.
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| i-Clubbers
having fun at the HDB IQC Convention. |
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Said Ms Sandra Wong Tuck Chuen, Principal Information
Services Officer: “The i-Club will motivate
IQCs to innovate and excel. It will spearhead innovation
in HDB. Being an i-Clubber, we are consistently
energised to perform. I am very proud and privileged
to be part of this elite club.”
The i-Club members have gone from strength to strength.
At the 2005 International Exposition of IQCs, one
i-Club circle won the Eureka Award, while two circles
clinched the Million Dollar Awards.
At the 2005 PS21 ExCEL IQ Convention, another pioneer
i-Clubber represented the Ministry of National Development
and emerged second out of the 16 participating circles
from across ministries.
In July 2005, HDB celebrated the concept of “teaming”
during the HDB IQC Convention. IQCs and research
and development teams’ efforts were recognised
at this annual platform for innovative solutions
and inventions.
Based on the theme “Party Time”, the
convention brought home the message that fun, creativity
and work complement one another and can often produce
extraordinary results.
Since 2004, all staff have been exposed to the FISH!
philosophy. Its four principles — Be There,
Make Their Day, Play and Choose Your Attitude —
have enlightened them on how to go about their work
and personal lives in a more enriching and fulfilling
manner.
For example, staff learnt that they have to be mindful
about choosing the right attitude when serving internal
and external customers and showing empathy. Many
are more motivated and enjoy their work more. FISH!
has also been successful in bonding teams and work
groups.
Said Mr Vincent Heng, Head (Centre for Inspiring
Ideas and Innovation): “We are continuing
our efforts to internalise the FISH! concepts in
our staff, so as to energise the workplace and enhance
their development, engagement and creativity.”
“Innovation for All” was the theme of
the 2005 HDB Innovation Week. It emphasised how
important innovation is to all levels in HDB. Staff
found the activities fun and innovative, and many
indicated that they were very encouraged by management’s
active support and participation.
This year’s IQC Week is set to achieve even
more. The tagline “Innovation for All, by
All” encourages everyone to play their part
in bringing innovation to greater heights. The line-up
includes exciting activities such as quizzes, learning
visits and workshops, competitions and possibly
a fair that will add to the innovation buzz in HDB.
With so many initiatives to drive service and innovation
excellence, HDB is poised to take on more challenges
in the months to come.
There is a tingling buzz of energy in the air, and
it’s the spirit of excellence that is embraced
by all in HDB! |
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By Management Services Section, HDB
Next: Global recognition
for e-bidding website |
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